Tampa Bay Water Blog

Southern Hillsborough County is experiencing rapid development and population growth that is driving demand for additional drinking water. While Tampa Bay Water has no authority over municipal growth, it is mandated to provide water to meet the needs of its member governments.

Currently Tampa Bay Water has enough permitted water supply to meet the region’s needs through 2028. Delivering that water to fast-growing southern Hillsborough County is the impetus behind several of the utility’s projects.

Tampa Bay Water has recently completed three projects that will send more water to southern Hillsborough County. The utility has:

• Removed the control valve bottleneck on the existing Brandon Transmission Main at the Lithia Point of Connection. The new valve was installed in late March 2022, delivering an additional 1 mgd of water to the south county area.
• Increased the rated capacity of the Lithia Hydrogen Sulfide Treatment Facility, increasing the maximum flow rate by 5 mgd.
• Expanded the Regional Facility High Service Pump Station, increasing the pumping capacity by 10-12 mgd

Tampa Bay Water also has several projects in construction to bring more water to southern Hillsborough County in the near term.

• The Brandon Booster Station will bring an additional 5-7 mgd to this area once complete in 2023, and a temporary booster station at the same location will bring a total of 5 mgd of additional water in late July 2022.

• The new South Hillsborough Pipeline will carry up to an additional 65 mgd of water to Hillsborough County’s southern service area when complete in early 2028. Tampa Bay Water has been conducting public outreach in southern Hillsborough County to gain feedback on the three top-ranked routes. The preferred route will be presented to the board for a vote in August 2022. The pipeline will deliver water to a new drinking water facility to be constructed by Hillsborough County in the Balm area. It will also serve as a redundant line to Lithia, providing a backup in the event the other pipeline needs maintenance or repair.

But projects to bring more water are just part of the equation. Tampa Bay Water has worked closely with Hillsborough County, Florida Friendly Landscaping agents and consultants to create and implement ways to save water.

• Tampa Bay Water ran a Water Smarter campaign to minimize outdoor water use during the region’s dry season because that’s when watering landscapes can account for up to 50 percent of a household’s water use. In May, water demand decreased in south-central Hillsborough County in response to the conservation messages and the rain it received.
• Tampa Bay Water Wise is sending direct mail to residents, alerting them of multiple rebate programs to help save money while saving water. Hillsborough County also sent letters and emails to more than 2,500 rebate-eligible residents regarding smart irrigation controller and shallow well rebates.
• Hillsborough County is sending letters to residents in homeowners associations that could be using reclaimed water but are not currently. The Florida Friendly Landscaping agents continue to do outreach to HOAs to promote proper watering and landscape management.